New reality show leaves online couples on deserted island

Here’s the latest reality TV experiment: Take couples who have only “dated” over the Internet and have them shack up together for one week on a deserted island.

The show is A&E’s upcoming Love Prison, where cyber-couples get an extreme dose of offline romance, stripped of their electronic devices and living alone together in an island house. “The couples are forced to get to know each other the hard way,” A&E said in a press release. “This social experiment will test the validity of online compatibility versus real-life chemistry. They have zero access to technology and must spend 23 hours a day indoors. Surprise interruptions keep them on their toes, and just when things may be going well, video interviews about their past reveal secrets both good and bad.”

After the week, the couples will decide whether to stay together or call it quits. Here’s the trailer for the show which debuts the first of its seven hour-long episodes on Sept. 8 at 10 p.m. (I know—they’re not even naked!).